


Chocolate Pastries and First Impressions

by orgaziam



Series: As Sweet As Raspberry Filling [2]
Category: Harry Styles - Fandom, One Direction (Band), zayn malik - Fandom
Genre: Absolute fluff, Bakery AU, Fluff, Just all the fluff honestly, M/M, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-29
Updated: 2019-04-29
Packaged: 2020-02-10 01:26:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18650116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orgaziam/pseuds/orgaziam
Summary: "You know, you can take whatever you like. It's free.""They're free? You work at a bakery shop and just give out pastries for free?""Well, for you they are, yeah.""You're a terrible business person."





	Chocolate Pastries and First Impressions

**Author's Note:**

> Just a quick return to one of my favorite AUs. Harry reminisces on their first meeting.

"You know, you can take whatever you like. It's free."

"They're free? You work at a bakery shop and just give out pastries for free?"

"Well, for you they are, yeah."

"You're a terrible business person," Zayn says with a soft laugh, and Harry feels breathless watching the way amber eyes crinkle in the golden glow of the sun.

 

A smile finds its way to his own lips, and Harry finds himself staring. In his trance, he doesn't miss the way said eyes slowly hover towards the pastry case, grazing over the freshly-made chocolate pastries. Almost immediately, he grabs a napkin and a fancy to-go box to stuff the chocolate pastries into, wrapping the ribbons into a practiced bow that he slides across the counter.

 

Zayn's eyes widen, ready to resist the kind gesture, but Harry shakes his head with a tut.

 

"Take it as a thank you," Harry says, nodding firmly at the box Zayn is now holding carefully between his hands.

 

Amber eyes cloud with confusion, "For what?"

 

Harry smiles, "For being one of my favorite customers."

 

Zayn laughs, "But you just met me today?"

 

Harry knows his cheeks are turning pink at the sound of the other boy's laugh, "First impressions go far," is all he says, and at the soft smile Zayn gives him, he adds, "And you're one of my first customers who's actually tried to get to know me."

 

The smile doesn't leave Zayn's face as he traces soft circles into the counter between them with his finger, shifting on the barstool he's seated on, "Do you think your boss is okay with you sitting here a bit longer and talking to me?" His voice sounds soft, almost like the boy is both fond and anxious, and Harry feels his heart swell even more.

 

He laughs softly at the words once they register, tearing his eyes away from the boy to take a quick glance around the bakery.

 

It's a Wednesday afternoon so they've been relatively slow. It's not long until they close up, and he and Liam are the only ones working. There's nothing in the ovens because he prefers making his pastries fresh in the morning before they open. Liam seems to be doing fine as he balances orders between tables, occasionally running to the back to grab the orders instead of just handing them over for Harry to put together like usual. Harry appreciates that Liam isn't interrupting his chat with Zayn, and makes a mental note to let the other boy take home all of the tip jar's contents for his immense help today.

 

A gentle tap to his arm and a soft laugh tear him away from his thoughts and back to Zayn, and his lips tilt upward into a smile on their own accord. "Where did you go?" Zayn asks him, tapping the side of Harry's head with his finger.

 

Harry shakes his head animatedly, his curls falling out of the bun he likes to keep it in when he's working. This apparently adds to Zayn's amusement, who combs his fingers through Harry's hair until the elastic keeping his hair up isn't hanging onto the curly strands of hair any longer. Instead, he lets it slide onto his own wrist before he reaches for Harry's hand on the counter.

 

Harry watches with bated breath as Zayn intertwines their fingers together, before taking his other hand and sliding the ponytail off of his wrist and onto Harry's. He keeps their fingers intertwined as he looks up at Harry with a soft smile. Harry laughs.

 

"You know, if you wanted to hold my hand, you could've just said so," Harry teases, though he still sounds breathless. He squeezes Zayn's fingers gently when the other boy blushes and moves to pull his hand away, effectively keeping them attached.

 

The raven-haired boy looks around almost suddenly, eyes hovering to where Liam is taking the orders of an elderly couple that just walked in, and back towards the empty kitchen behind Harry's frame.

 

"Are you sure you won't get in trouble with your boss for this?" he asks almost nervously, his teeth tugging at his bottom lip as he looks up at Harry.

 

Harry resists the urge to graze the boy's defined cheekbones with his free hand, squeezing Zayn's palm reassuringly.

 

"I think if anything he'll be happy that I kept his favorite customer company all afternoon," he says cheekily. His lip tilts upward at the corner on its own accord as he watches Zayn's eyebrow furrow in confusion.

 

"I, what?" Zayn asks.

 

Harry laughs, dropping his facade immediately.

 

"Zayn, this is my shop. I am the boss," he says softly, gauging the boy's reaction.

 

Zayn's eyes widen almost comically, pulling his hand away from Harry's in shock. Harry tries not to dwell on the rush of coldness that runs over him at loss of Zayn's touch, instead laughing softly in hopes of diminishing the awkwardness that's fallen over them.

 

"I'm so sorry," Zayn says suddenly, eyes still wide. "You're probably so busy, I've probably been keeping you from doing--"

 

"--Zayn," Harry says, reaching out to gently caress the boy's shoulder in hopes to calm him down.

 

Zayn continues his rant until Harry cuts him off again gently, this time with a soft laugh, "Zayn, love, it's all good, don't worry."

 

"What?" Zayn asks, still feeling dizzy with confusion. Harry can't help but laugh at the adorable look on the other boy's face.

 

"We haven't been busy since our lunch rush. I've done everything I've needed to for the day, trust me, love," he says, the term of endearment rolling off his tongue on its own accord. Zayn's cheeks tint at the word, but Harry continues, "If I needed to step away from you for a moment, I would have just said so."

 

He lets his hand drop from Zayn's shoulder until he can comfortably grasp his hand in his own again, and Zayn almost falls into the touch, though a little hesitantly. Harry feels his own senses ease at the gesture, letting his thumb graze over Zayn's palm.

 

"Besides, it seems like Liam is pulling both of our weights tonight," nodding his head in the direction of the brunette for emphasis. Zayn doesn't laugh but his smile returns, and Harry takes it as a win.

 

"And don't you forget it," Liam pipes up as he rushes past the two to put together a coffee for one of their regulars. He gives a soft smile to both Harry and Zayn before he's off to deliver the coffee to the waiting patron.

 

Harry let's his gaze hover back towards Zayn's just in time to hear the other boy speak up, "So you wouldn't mind spending the rest of the afternoon with me?"

 

Harry smiles, "Of course not." He takes a brief glance at the time on the register, making a mental note that they're closing soon before he turns to Zayn with a hesitant smile.

 

"We close in an hour and I'll have to clean up a bit in the back, but what do you say after that we take some of these pastries and go somewhere where we can get to know each other without as many people around?"

 

He's always been told that his boldness is charming, and though he doesn't have the confidence to use it often, the tell-tale smile on Zayn's face is enough for him to know he's won the other boy over with his suggestion already.

 

"What do you say I help you with your closing duties then?" Zayn asks, a gentleness in his gaze that makes Harry's heart swell ten times its normal size.

 

"I think my boss would be okay with that," Harry says, effectively getting a laugh out of Zayn.

 

And later, when he and Zayn are reluctant to separate from one another after hours of gentle touches and soft words as they properly get to know one another, Harry makes the decision to give Liam a raise for letting him have this with Zayn tonight.

 

Hell, maybe he'll even make him the best man at their wedding.

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't had any time to sit down and work on my other fics, so I decided to quickly put something together while I had a bit of spare time on my hands. I've been meaning to follow up on this verse for quite some time. It's one of my favorite things that I've written, and I'm sad it didn't get much recognition, but that's okay. I hope for those of you that read it, that you enjoyed it. As always, I am happy to fulfill any prompts you may have. I'll have plenty of freetime to write more once my finals finish in a week. Thank you for your patience. x
> 
> As always, all kudos and comments are appreciated!


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